Mail-bag crane.



J. W. YOCUM. MAIL BAG CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1911.

998,730, Patented July 25, 1911.

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JOHN W. YOCUM, OF BROKEN ABROVZ', OKLAHOMA.

MAIL-13,535 CRANE.

Application filed May 2, 191.1.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. Yoonir, citizen of the United States residing at Broken Arrow, in the county of Tulsa and State of Oklahoma have invented certain new and useful improvements in Mail-Bag Cranes, of which the following is a specification This invention relates to mail-bag catchers and aims to provide a simple bag catching means which may be positioned within the doorway of a mail car and may be folded to occupy but little space within the ear and may be quickly unfolded and arranged to extend out from the doorway to engage the mail-bag to be caugl'it.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a novel and highly efficient means for en gaging and holding the mail-bag, the means being so constructed as to positively prevent the mail bag being dropped after having been caught.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the catcher. tional view through the aws of the catcher. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the catcher folded.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawing by the same reference clniracters.

In the drawing the numeral 1 indicates an attaching member which is to be secured within the doorway of a mail car and to this member is pivoted as at 2 an arm 3 which may be folded to lie against the member 1 or to extend laterally at right angles therefrom as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. When the arm is in position extending at right angles from the member 1 its port-ion adjacent its pivoted end will rest against the side of the doorway and the arm will. be in this manner firmly braced. At its outer end, the arm is formed with spaced ears l, and a shoulder projecting beyond the ears. Another arm indicated by the numeral (5, is formed with an ear 7 pivoted between the ears 1, and with a shoulder 8 which projects beyond the ear 7, and when the arm 6 is in position extending forwardly at right angles engages against the shoulder 5 and prevents furt-her outward swinging movement Specification of Letters .Patent.

Fig. 2 a-detail horizontal see.

Patented July 255, 2311,

Serial No. 624,855.

of the said arm (3. The arm 6 is formed upon its inner face with rack teetl 9 and a finger 10 is pivoted upon the arm 3 and has a beveled end 11 arranged engage with one or another of the teeth 9 whereby the arm 6 will be held against swinging inwardly, after it has been property positioned to engage the mail bag to be caught.

The arm (:3 is formed with forwardly eX- tending resilient flu-cations 12 which form between them a mail bag receiving kerf The outer or forward ends of the furcations are slightly spread so as to form a mouth 1% into which the mail bag may readily enter. Links 15 are pivoted in openings 16 formed in the fureations l2 and these links are l'iiugedly connected at 1'7 and, when they are in aliuemcnt, serve a means for holding the furcatious 12 spread to receive the mail bag to be caught. The links 15 are, however. so hinged that a mail bag entering the kerf between the furcations and engaging with the links, will tln'ow them out of alinement, thereby allowing the said furcations to frictionally grip the bag, and hold it until manually *ithdrawn from the kerf. A lever 18 is pivoted between its ends to the upper edge of one of the furcations 12 and has a depending handgrip 19 and a depend ing linger 20 arranged to ride over the inner side of the other fnrcation 12, it being understood that when the latter is swung upon its pivot and the fingers ride over the said furcations, the other fur-cations will be spread until the links 15 are in alinement, after which the lever may be swung back to normal position. It is preferable that the fureation to which the lever is pivoted should be formed in its inner side with a recess 21 to receive the ringer 20 when the lever is in UOlIl'lHl position so that the lever will not be engaged by the bag entering the mouth of the kerf.

The attaching member 1 isformed with a recess or seat 22 and the arm 3 is formed with a similar seat 23 and these seats 22 and 23 receive the furcations 12 of the arm 6 when the arms and the attaching member are folded, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. There is provided a hook 2st and eye 25, carried by the attaching member and arm 8, respectively, for the purpose of holding the said members folded.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. In a mail bag catcher, an attaching member, an arm pivoted thereto and adapted to be swung to folded position against the attaching member and to position to extend laterally at an angle therefrom, a second arm pivoted to the first mentioned arm, means for holding the second mentioned arm in position ext-ending forwardly from the first mentioned arm, the second mentioned arm being foldable to position against the first mentioned arm, and mail bag engaging means at the forward end of the second mentioned arm.

2. In a mail bag catcher, an attaching member, an arm pivoted thereto and adapted to be swung to folded position against the attaching member and to extend laterally at an angle therefrom, a second arm pivoted to the first mentioned arm, means for holding the second mentioned arm in position extending forwardly from the first mentioned arm, the second mentioned arm being foldable to position against the first mentioned arm and between the same and the attaching member, mail bag engaging means at the forward end of the second mentioned arm, and means upon the attaching member and first mentioned arm for holding the said member and both of said arms in folded posit-ion.

3. A mail bag catcher comprising an attaching member, an arm pivoted thereto and adapted to be swung to folded position against the attaching member and to posi tion to extend laterally at an angle therefrom, a second arm pivoted to the first men tioned arm and having a shouldered end ar ranged to engage with a shoulder at the end of the first mentioned arm, the shoulders being arranged to be in engagement when the second mentioned arm is in position extending forwardly from the first mentioned arm, one of the arms being formed with a. rack, a finger pivoted to the other arm and ar ranged at its free end to cooperate with the rack whereby to hold the first and second mentioned arms against folding, and mail bag engaging means upon the second mentioned arm.

4. In a mail bag catcher, an attaching member, an arm pivoted thereto and adapted to be swung to folded position against the attaching member and to position to extend laterally at an angle therefrom, a second mentioned arm pivoted to the first mentioned arm and having resilient furcations forming a mail bag receiving kerf, the furcations at their outer ends being spread, the second mentioned arm being foldable to position between the attaching member and the first mentioned arm, the said attaching member and first mentioned arm being each formed with a seat to receive one of the furcations of the second mentioned arm, and means for holding the said arms and the attaching member folded.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN YOGUM. [Ls] Witnesses RoBT. H. WRIGHT, QUAY JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

